Werewolf Shadow
Directed By León Klimovsky
Released: 1970
Starring: Paul Naschy, Gaby Fuchs, Barbara Capell, and Patty Shepard
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Released By Anchor Bay Entertainment 2002

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Waldemar Daninsky (played by Paul Naschy), a nobleman who is forever tormented by a curse which causes him to turn into a werewolf, and his insane sister, Elizabeth (Yelena Samarina) live in a decrepit villa in France. When two college students, Elvira (Gaby Fuchs) and Genevieve (Barbara Capell), become stranded nearby while researching a vampiric witch, whose crypt is supposed to be in the area, Waldemar agrees to let them stay and even help in their research. The witch in question is Countess Wandessa d'Arville de Nadasdy (Patty Shepard), who was put to death using a silver dagger in the shape of a cross which Waldemar needs to break his curse.

Genevieve and Waldemar accidentally resurrect Countess Wandessa and she quickly begins drinking the blood of the women of the nearby village (as well as Genevieve herself, turning her into a vampire). Waldemar and Elvira ward off the vampires’ attacks with the silver dagger while Elvira’s boyfriend, Marcel (Andrés Resino), attempts to come to her rescue. As the night of Walpurgis approaches, Elvira learns that she must plunge the dagger into Waldemar’s heart to save him. Meanwhile, the evil Wandessa is planning to invoke the power of Satan to make herself invincible.

This wildly plotted film is lovingly directed by León Klimovsky (A Dragonfly For Each Corpse). Only a director with a supreme love of the horror genre could have pulled this one off. The European feel of this film is infectious and the soundtrack by composer Antón García Abril (Tombs Of The Blind Dead) is as eerie as it is kitschy. Klimovsky has a knack for building tension and when the final showdown between vampire and werewolf goes down, it is quite satisfying.

The plot features two vampires, one zombie, one witch, two psychotics, and, of course, one very spirited werewolf. Werewolf Shadow is a dreamlike viewing experience filled with an almost comical amount of slow motion, fog, and gothic scenery. Even the mountainous location where this film takes place adds to the beauty and sumptuousness that the filmmakers pull off on what was obviously a modest budget.

Paul Naschy (Horror Rises From The Tomb) gives his all yet again in this campy classic. The astonishingly beautiful ladies of the film are all excellent in their parts. Patty Shepard (My Dear Killer) is elegant and haunting as Countess Wandessa. Gaby Fuchs (Mark Of The Devil), who has done a frustratingly small number of horror films, is perfect as the lovely damsel in distress, Elvira. Even the severe-looking Yelena Samarina (an underused actress if there ever was one) puts in a disconcerting performance as the very insane Elizabeth.

Werewolf Shadow is far from perfect but it is so charming that its flaws really don’t hurt the entertainment value very much. The neon red (and sometimes watered down) blood, the canned wolf howl, the corny dialogue, and the old-fashioned werewolf transformation sequence, are just a few of the film’s quirks. The only real problem is a crippling of the film’s pacing where Marcel (Andrés Resino of Murder Mansion) holds a discourse about ignorance versus knowledge with the mayor of the nearby village.

Seasoned Eurohorror fans will be beaming during much of the running time of Werewolf Shadow while newcomers to the genre may be left wondering what the hell all the fuss is about. Werewolf Shadow is a must see for Naschy fans but this may not be the best starting point for those looking to get into his work (for that I recommend Horror Rises From The Tomb). However, this is a superb horror flick with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in to keep things vibrant and just a little nutty. Oh, could you pass me the horned goblet of virgins’ blood? Thanks.